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Lote Tuqiri could make his long-awaited return from injury next month in a rare piece of positive injury news for Wests Tigers.

Tuqiri has been out since breaking his arm playing Canterbury last July, and there were fears his career was over after he needed a second round of biceps surgery.

The dual international's initial return date was pencilled in as late July but there are hopes he could be back in time for the round 13 clash with Penrith.

''Lote is due to see the specialist in three weeks, and he could be back two to three weeks after that,'' Tuqiri's agent, Giancarlo Lombardo, said. ''He's still in the rehab group and he's running now; he's just not doing any contact work. We're hoping he'll be ahead of schedule. We've just got to see what the doc says.''
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The Tigers are in desperate need of reinforcement after suffering the NRL's largest injury toll. Their casualty ward includes Tuqiri, Braith Anasta, Blake Ayshford, Chris Lawrence, Keith Galloway, Matthew Bell, Tim Moltzen and James Gavet. The majority aren't expected to return any time soon.

The joint-venture club has lost five in a row and is on the bottom of the ladder, below the Eels.

The injury news is even more positive for Brisbane, with Justin Hodges rated a strong chance of returning against Parramatta on Saturday. Hodges missed the Broncos' loss to South Sydney.

Eels' prop Tim Mannah said the Eels felt the big losses that had caused so much embarrassment this season were a thing of the past.

Starting in the preseason, new coach Ricky Stuart warned the club's fans they should expect plenty of tough days this year, a message he repeated after heavy losses to the Sydney Roosters and, most recently, Penrith.

It was the humiliating defeat to their western Sydney rivals that co-captain Mannah said finally kicked the team into gear. The Eels turned that 44-12 loss into a much-improved effort against North Queensland, which, while still resulting in a 14-10 loss, convinced Mannah his team had grown to the point where Stuart would not have to apologise for them any more.

''I'd like to think so,'' Mannah said. ''I'd like to think that if we have the attitude that we had on the weekend, that the big losses should no longer be an issue for us.''

Parramatta repelled wave after wave of Johnathan Thurston-led attacks. It was a world away from the group that conceded 50 points to the Roosters last month.

''I think that comes down to everyone having a bit of pride in themselves,'' Mannah said. ''It's a shame that it takes a performance like the Penrith one to kick us into gear. But that's what it's done.''

The Tigers are just gaffa taping a side together from one game to the next. Lote might be a welcome inclusion for a few games if he's match fit, it's not like we're spoilt for choice on wingers at the moment. Even the stand ins we had in Reddy and Tedesco are urgently needed back in their correct positions. Hell I'd take Pat Richards back next week if we could swing it.